Question - ilvl for higher key mythics in S3

[Thor79]

Hi Guys,
I came back to playing WoW after a year off - and I've been plunging back into M+. I exclusively PUG, so I'm curious - at what ilvl is it comfortable for me to start applying (and being accepted) to 8-10 keys?

I've been playing it safe (I'm 406 now, holy pally), and have been pugging 4-5 keys (2-3 chesting them all) since about 395. 2-3 was way too easy even at 395. 4-5 is pretty easy too, but I know the group finding system can be pretty elitist. I'm running a glimmer build, and comfortably beating bad DPS on single target fights, and contributing 8-10K on trash pulls unless the group is taking too much damage.

I've been using RIO - and noticing that I would climb in score a lot faster for 7-10 timed finishes. Thanks in advance for the comments!

[Sxq]

You should be able to get into the 420-430 ilvl range without really doing any actual dungeons or raids. Grab your warfront, world boss, emissary, benthic, etc. Cap conquest a few times for some easy gear. Grab your weekly m+ and pvp cache. Boom, by reset time tomorrow you'll be high enough to get taken as a healer to higher keys.

[Barzotti]

Hi Guys,
I came back to playing WoW after a year off - and I've been plunging back into M+. I exclusively PUG, so I'm curious - at what ilvl is it comfortable for me to start applying (and being accepted) to 8-10 keys?

I've been playing it safe (I'm 406 now, holy pally), and have been pugging 4-5 keys (2-3 chesting them all) since about 395. 2-3 was way too easy even at 395. 4-5 is pretty easy too, but I know the group finding system can be pretty elitist. I'm running a glimmer build, and comfortably beating bad DPS on single target fights, and contributing 8-10K on trash pulls unless the group is taking too much damage.

I've been using RIO - and noticing that I would climb in score a lot faster for 7-10 timed finishes. Thanks in advance for the comments!

Forget about +10 keys for now, unless you're 425/430 and a rdrood. A MW friend (434 ilvl) is sometimes declined for +10s. I'd say 415 ilvl (which is pretty easy to reach) to be reliably accepted in the +8/+9 keys.

Your proficiency at the game and your ability to contribute to the dps doesn't matter in the pug world where there are only three metrics: your ilvl, your r.io score, your class.

[Jyggalag]

420 for 10s as a benchmark

[GringoD]

I exclusively PUG

Since other commenters have already answered, I'll instead ask out of curiosity: Why don't you look for some friends and get a regular group going?

[burek]

Players are now in 430-440 range. When it comes to +10, healers and tanks can get by with 420, especially if its just a weekly run, but don't expect instant invites. Anything lower and I would expect trouble getting an invite, maybe if a group is desperate enough.

When it comes to lower keys, geared people have no reason to do them, so i guess 7-9 keys are filled with 420 people and tanks/healers again getting by with less.

[Salty Maud]

I started running tens at 415 on my last (tank) alt. Did so with so with the rest of the group being 400-410. Tinder will demand (much) more from you but if you play it smart you don't need much to succeed in tens. You should be able to reach ~415 without even entering dungeons or raids in a few days, there's plenty of welfare ilevel to be had.

[gushDH]

After I successfully got a 10 key for myself, my pugging life went to piss easy. Everyone wants a +10, very few want something more than that. When I make a listing and say something like "freehold +10", I get bombarded by very good geared players.

The trick, as always, is to create your own group.

[Boricha]

I also came back not long ago, I started getting invited to +10s around ilvl 420 as a dps DH.

[Thor79]

Thanks for all of the answers! Much appreciated. It sounds like 420 is a reasonable goal - I went from 340 to 406 this week already - only thing I missed is the warfront (because I abhor the BFA warfronts and islands). I did all the WQ, Benthic upgrades, lots of +4/5 M+, and etc. I didn't PvP, thanks for that point - I'll look into that for next week. Also to GringoD - I'd love to build a regular group - I only have a few friends who play right now, and they are flaky and their schedules are all over the place. I'll start working on that.

Thanks again for all the input!

[Tydan]

Hi Guys,
I came back to playing WoW after a year off - and I've been plunging back into M+. I exclusively PUG, so I'm curious - at what ilvl is it comfortable for me to start applying (and being accepted) to 8-10 keys?

I've been playing it safe (I'm 406 now, holy pally), and have been pugging 4-5 keys (2-3 chesting them all) since about 395. 2-3 was way too easy even at 395. 4-5 is pretty easy too, but I know the group finding system can be pretty elitist. I'm running a glimmer build, and comfortably beating bad DPS on single target fights, and contributing 8-10K on trash pulls unless the group is taking too much damage.

I've been using RIO - and noticing that I would climb in score a lot faster for 7-10 timed finishes. Thanks in advance for the comments!

This will block you in pug world. Try and get a regular group together.

[Kaver]

Hi Guys,
I came back to playing WoW after a year off - and I've been plunging back into M+. I exclusively PUG, so I'm curious - at what ilvl is it comfortable for me to start applying (and being accepted) to 8-10 keys?

I've been playing it safe (I'm 406 now, holy pally), and have been pugging 4-5 keys (2-3 chesting them all) since about 395. 2-3 was way too easy even at 395. 4-5 is pretty easy too, but I know the group finding system can be pretty elitist. I'm running a glimmer build, and comfortably beating bad DPS on single target fights, and contributing 8-10K on trash pulls unless the group is taking too much damage.

I've been using RIO - and noticing that I would climb in score a lot faster for 7-10 timed finishes. Thanks in advance for the comments!

Have you heard about this magical place called Nazjatar where you can get good gear with no effort at all. It is also know as "Welfare Island".

[trapmaster]

I pretty much enjoyed doing 8+ quite often than 10+... my comfort zone just fits there. Meanwhile we are getting handed out free welfare gears...

[Kluian05]

Your best bet at a lower ilvl and to avoid constant declines is to push your own key. 8-10 keys you will have people with high ilvl / io requesting to join and you can aim for your best chance at success.

I currently just leveled a fury warrior and while I easily out dps poor players in the 405-415 ilvl range when I'm 395, I know people will not invite me to their groups. For the time being I'm stuck making my own group, and usually have to resort to tanking.

[Trend]

at what ilvl is it comfortable for me to start applying (and being accepted) to 8-10 keys?

I think there are a few separate issues and questions here. I'll focus on 10's since that's really what you want to be doing and 8's are all over the place: sometimes it's people who have no clue and sometimes people are so overgeared that other members of the group don't need to do much. This is how I would break down your question:

#1. What general ilvl do you need to do 10's comfortably?

It really depends on player skill but for most good (but not world-class) players I would say to shoot for 420's. Go ahead and try it before then if you can but there seems to be a hump you get over as you get through the low 420's. Depends on the affixes too of course. Don't get me wrong, they're definitely doable under 420, it's just more tedious.

#2. What do you need to get invites to 10's with some consistency?

Your raider.io score is more important than your ilvl once you start doing 10's. You will get faster invites if your ilvl is very high relative to other applicants, but that's not what we're talking about here. In the big pot of normal applicants, I think people want to see some kind of score and they want to see a decent number of timed 10's already run. At this point, I would personally tend to shy away from anyone who has fewer than 4-5 timed 10's just because it's so easy to find applicants who fit the bill. If a healer has timed some 10's, I know they know how to do it, if they haven't or only have 1-2 then I'm not as confident.

The easiest way go get to where you'll get invites is build up your raider.io by running your own groups. You'll also quickly learn what a solid group is more likely and less likely to look like.

[Azerate]

If you're one of the 5-6 classes/specs that are welcome in m+, 420+ ilvl, and about 1000 rio should be enough for m10.

Otherwise it's 435+, 1200 rio+ and it will still be hard to get in.

PS. And yeah, the way the game works now, you have to gear up in other sources. People will basically just invite you to content that you no longer need the base ilvl gear from. Nazjatar can give you gear that can be upgraded up to 425 ilvl for most slots.

[Deaged]

considering 13's and 14's were easy in last season's gear, on week 1 of season 3, it's safe to assume that 415-420 is fine for +10, but the mongoloids you're going to try to pug with won't see it that way most likely

[Ange]

considering 13's and 14's were easy in last season's gear, on week 1 of season 3, it's safe to assume that 415-420 is fine for +10, but the mongoloids you're going to try to pug with won't see it that way most likely

Apart from player skill - able to press a button every now and then - iLevel alone means not really much, if you come from a gearing season to the next. 420 with BiS azerite, bis trinkets and sockets in every piece compared to a benthic/emissary/socketless gearset is at least 33% difference in DPS and most likely much more in dungeon/AoE scenarios.

Thats why PUG's "have to" overshoot in requirements OR have to make a balanced assumption with ilvl+r.io mix. You can cry yourself to sleep every day why PUG's are so mean to you/new players/extreme casuals - but the truth is, there is no other choice.

A casual player doesnt care for powerlevels within ilvl brackets, doesnt care for the success of your M+ run and most likely doesnt care about the other PUG players in the group.

What people never really get is, that ilvl+R.IO requirements are not used to make unnecessary hurdles for casual players, they are used to filter out rude players demanding a free boost.

[Thor79]

I appreciate the additional input. To @Kaver - yeah, I used Benthic gear at first, but I despise dailies with a passion - I'm now 415 ilvl in all M4-5+ gear, so I really don't care to grind pearls, I'd rather run dungeons

Thanks for the comments on raider.IO. In the mean time, I've found a nice guild with an active discord on my server (Illidan) that actively runs a lot of M+ - and I've enjoyed playing with them the last few days, so much better than pugging.

I do want to clarify - I don't want to foist myself on other PUG players in +10 content when I'm not ready / geared, thus the question in the first place. I really don't have any interest in being carried. Thanks again for all your input!

[ThrashMetalFtw]

You can comfortably do 10s with iLvl 400 (that's when I usually start jumping into them on alts). You obviously won't compete with a 430 Dps in the group, but a full grp of iLvl 400s can easily do 10s if you have some of knowledge of the dungeons (what to interrupt, routes), and any decent skill at playing the game.

Now, about what iLvl people are actually asking for in pugs, that's something completely different...